21 Dec 2011
by Geryl Ogilvy Ruekeith. Posted on December 18, 2011, Sunday
KUCHING: The port at Tanjung Manis Halal Hub would be extended soon to not only transform the state into the nation’s leading player in the halal industry but also to tap into the trillion-dollar global halal market.
There are about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, and the global Halal market is currently estimated at US$2.3 trillion, covering both the food and non-food sectors.
At present, the country has 11 halal hubs, with more than RM6 billion in investments. In Sarawak, about RM1.8 billion in investments has been secured in the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub.
Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said the global halal market was too huge to be ignored by the state and country.
“The government will continue to develop infrastructure to enhance its halal hub initiative. The extension of the port has been tendered out. This extension would facilitate the increase in exports of products from Tanjung Manis,” he said at the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC)’s 3rd ‘Halal Transformation Programme’ roadshow at Kuching Waterfront yesterday.
The chief minister added that infrastructure was now in place to connect the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub to Sibu and coastal areas in the north and southern regions to speed up the development of the industry.
To date, he added, the state had managed to attract high technology investments to develop Tanjung Manis to a level where the government could encourage the development of various biotechnology initiatives.
He said this huge effort could catapult the state’s strategy to penetrate the global market.
“The halal hub would open up numerous job opportunities for the people as the industries here would require technical expertise such as basic life sciences and chemical engineering.
“So huge is the potential of the halal industry that even if we only take one per cent of the global market share that is easily equivalent to RM700 million.
“We will ensure that the halal hub industry develop further so that we could achieve more than the RM700 million worldwide market share.”
Stating that Tanjung Manis had become an ideal area for the production of halal food, Taib said the state would continue to focus on food production as it was seating in an area teeming with palm oil, sago and other agricultural products.
He pointed out that participation in the halal industry was not limited to giant corporations, but also open to small entrepreneurs.
Among the areas that could be tapped are the productions of halal cosmetic products, pharmaceuticals, and health and dietary supplements.
“The small stakeholders should grab this opportunity as well. Entrepreneurs should be aware that the halal industry is open to all who wish to participate in producing products that conforms to halal standards.
“Small businesses would in fact become the bulk of the workers for the halal industry. Malaysia can become one of the leading Muslim countries to forge ahead and become pioneers in the production of halal goods and services.”
Also present at the event were Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, Assistant Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman, Assistant Resource Planning Minister Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, and Tanjong Manis MP Datuk Norah Abdul Rahman. HDC was represented by its chairman Tan Sri Dato Dr Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim and vice-president Dr Abdul Malik Musharaf.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/18/swak-wants-to-be-tops/#ixzz1h9UY5cO7
